(NYC) Field: Times Square

[AlwaysAwake]

Alexander had just punched in Seifers number into his contact list as a rather upbeat Haruka burst in with his lion of a girlfriend. He blinked, watching the two as a small smile formed on his lips.

"Well, it worked out I guess."  Mumbling to himself as he eyed the two, although not knowing much Haruka had expressed some of his feelings on the matter, all negative. It was refreshing to see Haruka in high spirits as well, having been a tid bit worried about the teen and his odd sickness from the day before.

[OverDrive]

As Tsubasa continued taking down phone numbers he noticed Haruka pulling Yukino into the crowd, with that his suspicions were affirmed.

"..I see now.." he said, beginning to smile.

He walks up to Haruka and places his hand on Haruka's shoulder.

"..Not bad man, not bad..I wish for you the best of luck until we meet again." he said, as he turned to Yukino as well.

"..This outcome would not have been possible without you, without everyone, so thank you.." he said, as he turned around. "...I wish you the best."

[Jello]

Yukino seemed really antsy about kissing. As in she really liked it. Haruka would have to keep in mind to stop accidentally teasing the poor girl with small pecks and actually let her have some if wanted. But tonight wasn't the time for all that. This was more about the memories. He pulled Yukino up to his side and used his free hand to gesture to her. Tsubasa even came up and gave him a few words of consideration. Haruka was grateful, for sure.

"Hey Alex, Seifer, this is Yukino. You've seen her before I believe, but I don't think you've all been formally introduced." Haruka scratches the back of his head, moving behind Yukino to hug her. This would have to settle for now. He looked up at the stage in anticipation. Hana's tonight was tonight, BELLA's night was tonight. Everything she had started working for was all going to begin.

Tonight.

The excitement must have been showing on Haruka's face, he had a huge smile on his face as he rested his head on Yukino's shoulder, arms wrapped around her waist. He was also rather enthused at the handicapped Neu and Tsubasa. They seemed awfully close for having had a nearly life-altering fight only a few days ago...

"Tsubasa, when did you become such a lady killer?" Haruka naturally asked. He didn't mean anything by it at first, then realized Neu was still sitting there and then Haruka sort of started to crack up a little.

[Hope]

The crowd was left wanting more, and that it is indeed what they got. The rest of the night continued on after Drake's thrilling duet with Rhianna. This was one of the happiest moments of Hana's life, if not the happiest. The lights kept going onwards, the workers ran frantically and passionately. The same cold be said for the dancers, the make-up crew, the musicians, the camera men... everyone involved was spectacular. The audience was amazing, they added a lot to the performer's spirit with their cheering. They kept wanting more, that's what had artists backstage pumped and ready to go.

After is performance, Drake gave Hana a pat on the head, a man in black following behind him with tissues in case he had another break down into tears. Rhianna returned with a present for the princess, her umbrella. What an honor. Eventually, after the numerous artists like, Beyonce and Justin Timberlake, It was almost Hana's turn to go. She received numerous calls from idol groups all across Japan, one of which was from Momoiro Clover Z, wishing her luck in representing idols on the world stage. They watched with great expectations, looking forward to how their fellow idol would represent their performance style.

Fireworks shot up, New York's sky lit up with the artificial stars shooting through the darkness, making Time's Square seem as if it were the center of the universe. The sound crew handed Hana her microphone and before she made her way out, Drake fixed her hat and gave her a thumbs up. Shia Labeouf then appeared behind the two with encouraging words.

"Just Do It."
"Yes you can!"
"Don't let your dreams be dreams!"

Tears started forming in her eyes as well as Drake's, they both turned and nodded, at awe and inspired.

"Yeah.." they nodded and replied to him in unison.

Affinity:
Drake: +3
Shia Labeouf: +1

The announcer then introduced the next performer, "Isabella Hope!"

Hana quickly ran onto the stage. She was overlooking a crowd larger than she possible ever imagined, it made heart skip a beat. The world of performance was truly something she loved. Upon her appearance, the crowd cheered, and she felt the world come to a halt. BELLA, Isabella, the name that she had so foolishly come up with herself to become her idol name just because she thought that it sounded nice. Hana didn't put much thought beyond that, because that's how childish her dream seemingly was. She never imaged that such a large number of people would be cheering her on like this. Truly, it was dream come true. The audience awaited her words, still clapping and jumping. The night was gorgeous, and the spotlight was now on her. In the distance was lone star in the sky, shining confidently and beautifully, it stood with her on stage, the rising star, Isabella Hope.

"Hello Minnasan!" She waved at the crowd.
"Hello! BELLA-chan!" The crowd replied as if they practiced. Hana could've sworn she heard Nociel and her mom.
"Are you all having fun?" She asked them. They applauded in return, making her smile even more, she was glad.
"Arigatou for coming tonight minna, this is really my first time performing in something as big as this and I really want to show you all what we idorus are capable of!" She paused for a moment, "We've gone through struggles due to the events of the War of Liberation. A lot saw it as a myth, but you know... we lost friends there, and really... it showed us the dire importance of having companions around. Whether they be our actual friends or even cards, we love our clans. They may just be cards, but as fighters, we have a deep connection to them."

The screen's color's changed to a sparkling blue, the color she had chosen to represent her. Navy blue like her hair, cool right? It had her name on it, all across the screens of Time's Square was "Isabella Hope."

"I'll be performing two songs tonight. This first song that we'll be performing is something that commemorates our experiences, happy and sad in order to reach our dreams. All the changes we have gone through. Let's go back to those days, remember who we were, and not be ashamed of it as it was once part of us, something we can learn from."

The back up dancers stood in formation with Isabella as the center, the lights dimmed a little. The first formation had been set up flawlessly. Hana took a big glimpse at the crowd. This was it. Once the spotlight turned on again, it was her time, the stage would become her field.

She screamed out the title of the song, leading to the the roar of the crowd.

"DAYS OF DASH!"

Spoiler

Performed by: Suzuki Konomi
Lyrics: Hata Aki
Music composition: Shirato Yuusuke
Music arrangement: Shirato Yuusuke

Watching the days go past makes me feel so empty
I need to leave a mark:
I’m here and my soul is screaming
I’m dreaming

Wandering this wide world, I held back my tears;
Clumsily taking the long way to my dreams

Looking up at the blue sky and not saying anything
I kept thinking about why my heart hurt so much

DAYS OF DASH
Running against the wind
I wonder what started between us when we were always running back then
I don’t know what it was but
The sun is shining above us now.
Let’s run forever down the road it shows us
Though even I don’t know if it goes on forever.

I’m not strong, so I puff out my cheeks
Impatiently
I have the urge to open the door and see

Embracing my overwhelming, overflowing emotions
As long as we’re not afraid,

Throwing wishes into the blue sky
There’s no way I can give up.
EYES TO EYES
A world where we don’t need words
Your and my world is starting right now.
I know it!
As soon as I decided to explore the future
Changing more
I want to search for my connection to eternity
More…

Looking up at the blue sky and saying nothing
I kept thinking about why my heart hurt so much…

DAYS OF DASH
Running against the wind
I wonder what started between us back then?
I still don’t know but
Where is that place where the sun is shining down on?
What am I trying to start?
I’m a dreamer
Already, a world that doesn't need words,
Your and my world has started just now
I know it has!
As soon as I decided to explore the future
Changing more
Though I don’t know if it will continue forever.

[Cipher Izanagi]

Seifer waved once more to Yukino, turning to face the couple that had just joined the group. "We met once, during the last few fights though I don't think she and I actually talked. From memory she passed out after doing... Something.. And then Ezel... Nevermind, maybe I was just tired." he mumbled the last half to himself before thinking and pointing at the two of them. He had yet to realize who Yukino actually fully was though. "I need to get your numbers to don't I? It's also nice to actually fully meet you Yukino." he spoke to the pair, however once Hana was announced his head swiveled back to the stage, watching her performance. What? He knew an idol? His mind raced a bit, not fully putting two and two together until now. And the thought that he never knew both shocked and bothered him. Nevertheless he listened to the performance happily, supporting his friend that was on stage.

[AlwaysAwake]

Alexander eyed the two lovers as they strutted in, eyeing Yukino up close for once as he held back the wish to whistle in amazement. He coughed into a balled up fist before speaking rather clumsily. "So thats the lion that gives you a hard time huh?" He'd let out, a joking tone may have been heard within his voice though an innocence also lay ever apparent. It had dawned what he had just said, blinking for a moment before mouthing "Oh shit" As fear crept up on him, breaking into a cold seat while giving a forced smile.

"Haha...N-Nice to meet you. I'm Alexander." A defeated voice piping up from him. Though he would turn to Hana hastily as she ran onto the stage, watching her wide eyed as he was rather amazed. It could be said that he had become a fan of idols at this very moment.

[Cherry]

"L-Lion...?" She sweat nervously. "Nice to meet you guys..." Yukino wasn't sure how to take that joke, but she let it slide since Haruka was holding her. A feeling of prideful joy came over her, seeing as her little sister was achieving her dream in a few minutes, and her boyfriend sounded like he was showing the queen off. At least, the thought of being his prize was delightful to relish in. Chuckling softly, the eyes of the queen moved on focus on the rising star of hope, the performance they had been waiting for beginning.

"Tsubasa, just remember that you're included in that everyone", she replied to the Gold Champion without having to turn.

"Hope" huh... I would like that someday...

... As you are now... You don't need me. You're already so far ahead...

I'm proud of you.

[Jello]

Haruka felt warmth from all over once again. It wasn't Overlord's warmth or Dauntless' greedy fire or anything Vanguard related. It was nothing that made Haruka want to sweat or freak out or anything like that either. It was the feeling of sudden joy all over, seeing Hana perform like that. Something Haruka had never seen before was Hana perform with a full crowd like this. The beach was one thing, but it was so sudden and Haruka fell asleep right as the performance was closing. This time he was here for the full thing and he was so glad he was. Even as it was only the first song ending, he ended up cheering regardless.

"BELLLAAAA-CHAAANN!!!" Haruka yelled, waving up to the stage. He wasn't too worried about being noticed in between the mobs of millions of adoring fans. But it was interesting enough that he got to see her actually perform live for once. He was so proud of her for making it here. Haruka never had the courage to do things like this, so this was something he wanted Hana to be proud of too.

He gripped around Yukino a little tighter, pecking her on the cheek and whispering into her ear, "She's great isn't she? This is amazing!" Haruka was genuinely really excited for this. Not even a day ago Haruka was nearly a shattered boy with nothing to really hope for but a small sum of friends he remembered. Tonight was ten times better than he could have imagined. His smile was plastered from ear to ear, feeling warmer and warmer by the second. The blood rushing to his head made him a bit dizzy but that didn't really stop him.

[Hope]

At the end of the first song, Time's Square was roaring with excitement. The applause slowly died down as the lights dimmed. It was due to Hana's big love for singing that she wanted to do this.

"The lights keep the stars from getting to us," She started to explain, as the lights of Time's Square slowly closed off. The spotlight was no longer on her, her face was in the shadows. The crowd grew silent, somewhat confused, yet going along and accepting what as going on. A atmosphere of mystery. The cool air of the night carried forth a natural beauty which contrasted with the artificial one which the fireworks had created prior.

"I want to do this. We will let the light of stars reach us, we're not going to let anything obstruct them as they've come such a long way. Let's enjoy the night." As the lights of New York City shut, the stars in the sky shone brilliantly. The lone star which was beside Hana when she first performed was now surrounded by millions upon millions of lights in the sky. Hana's eyes projected the stars of Cray as well. A few drops of tears formed in her eyes.

"Thank you everyone... thank you.. I've wanted to do this for so long..." It was silent. The moon acted as her spotlight now, and the sounds of the natural world gave way to the natural beat in which she had to sing to. The song of the world played once more. The instrumentals began, and memories from the past months flowed into her. She couldn't see a thing, the audience couldn't see a thing. All that could be seen was the stars in the sky along with the moon. It wasn't about the looks of an idol now, dancing, or any of the bright lights. This performance juxtaposed the first. This one was entirely all about the song, the message which it conveyed.

"LAST STARDUST"

Spoiler

Aimer
Lyricist：aimerrhythm
Composer：Masahiro Tobinai
Arrangement：
Kenji Tamai ・Masahiro Tobinai

Downpour rain fell incessantly
I reached the finale of my ideal dream
then I kept walking
with my wet shoulders was trembling
 
I gathered my colorless memories
with my worn out tiny hands,
until I could cover up
the hollow of my heart
 
If only I could find things I lost
I don’t mind to throw away
kindness, love
and all of my everything

Though being hurt is my fate,
but my heart
still immerses in colors
Soars up! The Last Stardust
Dust to Dust,
Ash to Ash
far beyond the sky
Oh my fragments of hopes,
reach out beyond there
 
Ephemeral rain faded away,
Frozen night breeze vanished
I was petrifying,
with loneliness alone by my side
 
If only I could protect what I believe
I don't mind,
all justice I've chosen
would be fatally wrong

Scar-covered my heart of crystal
lights up the heat of passion
that I start to forget
Soars up! The Last Stardust
Dust to Dust,
Earth to Earth
far beyond the sky
Oh my fragments of hopes,
may you last to the eternity

Brave Shine
Stay the night
Stay the night
Brave Shine
Brave Shine
 
Though being hurt is my fate,
but my heart
still immerses in colors
Farewell Judas
gone to ashes
Dust to Dust
towards the weakness of my past

Scar-covered my heart of crystal
lights up the heat of passion
that I start to forget
Soars up! The Last Stardust
Dust to Dust,
Ash to Ash
far beyond the sky
 
Oh my fragments of hopes,
may you last to the eternity

[OverDrive]

As the end of Hana's song concluded the concert, many individuals began to feel emotions rile up within them but in the end the songs gave them more than just a farewell feeling but it also gave them hope, hope for their future. The crowd clapped in unison at the performances and as a result it left us all with a strong sense of satisfaction and pride.

"...Haruto...I'll be ready one day to face you again...that is my....heh brave shine..not a bad song afterall." he thought. "..Seifer, Neo and Alexander you know how to reach me if possible."

Tsubasa returns Neu back to the hospital and says, "..Thank you for helping me develop and become a better me, i'm going to miss you Neu...here.." he hands Neu a CD player. "Old school I know but I hope this get well gift helps you in your recovery...until we meet again." Inside the CD Player was a CD containing a song that Tsubasa wanted to convey to Neu, he felt like this song would do better for him.
("It will be me" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_syirWbi4TY&index=1&list=RD_syirWbi4TY)

Before leaving her, he plants a kiss on her cheek and says his farewells. "..Goodnight." he says, as he bids her farewell.

[AlwaysAwake]

Alexander was singing along to Hanas' song as if having memorized the lyrics from the day it came out, smiling the whole time even in the serious bits. He enjoyed the moment, the music reverberating all around him as dozens cheered for the idol on stage, the goodbye to New York and the troubles that were faced. And the future that awaited everyone, their intersecting paths that would create the bridge of tomorrow.

He would remain for the whole concert, waving goodbye to Tsubasa and Neu and sticking around with the rest of the group as long as he could. A part of him would regret one thing though, not having met these people sooner, and to have to part with them after having just met them. "I guess Vanguard will connect us again." Was the resolution that he had reached, telling everyone goodbye when the moment came. "It was nice meeting you folks, I'll try to keep in touch from time to time." His words holding a cheery tone to them, he seemed sure of meeting once again at the very least.

"Well, guess you made a fan. Hope-chan." Snickering a bit about the fact on his way back, though sighing as he was reminded that he had school to get back to once he went away. "Well, whatever happens guess I gotta look forward.... Right, Ethics Buster" Flipping out his deck as he eyed the white beast. It's glowing incandescent eyes burning as brightly as his fists. "Guess I got you and azure Dragon two point-oh huh." Being his last words on the matter as he went to the Hotel room, packing his things and heading off to bed, ready to face tomorrow as he always has.

Hope-san AP + 4
Tsubasa AP +2
Haruka AP +3
Yukino/Lion AP +1
Seifer AP +1
Neu AP +1

[Azuki Frappé]

Ighanna watched Hana's great performance and enjoyed it a lot seeing one of her friends becoming successful, this was the birth of a new star. Despite sitting at a VIP seats from one of the concert's sponsor, she was invited to the backstage to meet many of her pals like Justin Timberlake, Drake and Rihanna which she was very familiar with. Unluckily Ighanna did not meet Hana after the show to congratulate her because of the commotion going on and crowds of people waving in the see the celebrities, sad Ighanna.

"I'll applaud Pacifica for you instead then if you're gonna be so down about it" Metatron suggested as Ighanna nods in agreement sending Metatron to relay the message of gratitude to Hana.

[Spectre Diamond]

He left once Hana was done with her songs. To be honest, he enjoyed it very much. It got him to remember the fond memories he had with his parents before everything went to hell. He remembered that he was their light and that was why they named him that, Hikaru. To shine in the dark and look how he turned out. He then looked down for a bit then continued walking. Never less, this is one thing he won't forget about the younger sibling even with her new name, Hope. He won't forget the experience.

"Once I get back to japan, I'm going to get stronger with my own strength." He then took out his deck with Cosmo Lord glowing dimly at the front of the deck. Then he flipped the deck to find Mond Blaukluger and took it out to look at it.

"You came to me three days ago, when the seal was finally broken and are memories fully returned. Why? why did you choose me to wield you."He looked at the card questionably as his deck glow a dark blue hue.

"You talk to much." Cosmo Lord materializes in front of the king of the underground. "You should not question the appearance of a new pawn. Rather be delighted it came to you instead of any other. I'm rather surprised that you are still going over this Hikaru." Gazing at the boy with his golden metallic eyes which are devoid of any emotion.

"I'm..just being ridiculous. Me, being worried as something as the god damn world. A few months ago I wouldn't have given a damn what happens to this planet. Everything i've been through, I blame it all on how the world is run. I still do to an extent. I guess i'm not so different to Neu in wanting to change the world in my own twisted way. If certain events had happened would I have lived long enough to see myself as the villain. So many what ifs pop up in my mind." He then shook his head a few times before continuing forward and putting Mond back into the deck. "I shouldn't stay here for to long, I need to fix up my luggage.

The phantom looked at Hikaru's back side and then shook his head as he evaporated into dark blue motes and went back to his deck.

"I'll never understand humans"

[NeoBuster]

The concert had ended. Everyone was going there seperate ways. As the flight back home soon came, Neo couldnt help but wonder what he was going to do next. Things are going to be different for sure. So what was Neo's next move? What is his future plans? Now that he found out about his parents and Vermillion being taken away, Neo kept staring at the stage not knowing what to do. He shed a tear because he could only hold it in for so long. He was hurt, upset and felt betrayed. He didnt really have a home to stay at and didnt have a job. Neo was a wanderer. His sole purpose was to find his parents and reunite with them but now that isnt possible. Neo took a chair and just sat near the stage staring intil his flight.

"Its not fair.." Neo said shedding tears

[Skyzlimitz]

Sky was getting ready to leave after the concert, he was depressed because he still hadn't found another strong fighter to face since fighting Hana. It was then he saw someone who was also still at the concert crying. Sky never knew what to say in these kinds of situations but also hated to see people sad so he approached the person. "Why so glum chum?" Sky asked practically kicking himself for how corny that sounded.